Some say outbursts can be refreshing

Joe DillPublished: September 30, 2006 12:00AM

NEW YORK Is it cool to lose your cool?
Thats one of the questions of the week as we evaluate and re-evaluate Bill Clintons finger-pointing, knee-poking interview with Chris Wallace on Fox.
The first debate, of course, was whether Clinton had actually lost it at all a full-bore tantrum, one conservative columnist called it or knew exactly what he was doing.
But splitting the difference for a moment, the interesting issue becomes: Can public anger, in politics, business and elsewhere be a GOOD thing? Is a little tantrum now and then just whats called for?
Under the right circumstances, yes, say some analysts of social behavior.
Its more important than ever to cut through the clutter, says Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, senior associate dean at Yales School of Management. All of us are so over-managed these days. Public figures have platoons of protectors. Its more important than ever to show authentic, real emotion.
Sonnenfeld believes Clintons anger was genuine, and yet intentionally uncensored. And he says Clinton has told him personally in the past he counts himself as one of the former presidents many acquaintances that when your critics are wrong, fire back on all cylinders. Take it on with full force and dont let up.
Everyone knows of moments when politicians should have kept their mouths shut, and others when they should have spoken up. Its hard to forget how Michael Dukakis was excoriated for his unemotional response to Bernard Shaw. The CNN anchor had asked whether Dukakis would favor an irrevocable death penalty if his wife were raped and murdered.
In the business sphere, Sonnenfeld says, Hewlett-Packard CEO Mark Hurd showed vulnerability when, voice quivering, he acknowledged the gravity of the companys corporate spying scandal.
You knew he wasnt scripted, said Sonnenfeld, who has an upcoming book, Firing Back: How Great Leaders Rebound After Career Disasters.
In the Fox News interview, Clinton pointed his finger, leaned sharply in toward Wallace, and poked his leg, all in animated response to the question of whether his administration had done enough to pursue Osama bin Laden.
None of Clintons gestures, though, is necessarily indicative of a loss of control, says Kathleen Hall Jamieson, an analyst of political communication.
What we usually see from politicians are scripted moments _ or interviews that are puff pieces, she said. We rarely see a tough one-on-one interview. We have no reference point. How do you differentiate between strong conviction and anger?
Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, recalls how former President George H.W. Bush got angry and it helped during a live interview with then-CBS anchor Dan Rather over Iran-Contra questions.
How would you like it if I judged your career by those seven minutes when you walked off the set in New York? Bush asked then, referring to Rathers petulant moment four months earlier after CBS delayed the news for a tennis match.
His standing went up in the polls. Previously, hed been seen as a wimp, says Jamieson.
Another famous example of public anger came during the McCarthy anti-Communist hearings in the 1950s. Have you no sense of decency, sir? asked Joseph Welch, the Armys special counsel, in a moment that helped galvanize anti-McCarthy sentiment.
That, though, was anger in the name of social justice which plays much better than defensive anger, says psychologist Pauline Wallin.
In those cases, people are respected for their anger, says Wallin, author of Taming Your Inner Brat.
Its seen as noble. But when people who get angry in defense of themselves, it leaves them more open to criticism.
From body language alone, Wallin thinks Clinton did lose some control. He was squirming, and shifting in his chair a lot, Wallin said. His emotions definitely took over.
But, she added, echoing a common view, his supporters saw what they wanted to see, and so did his critics. I dont think he changed anyones opinion.
There are certainly plenty of examples where reputations are harmed by public expressions of anger. Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani was criticized for an angry rally appearance in 1993 where he used an expletive. And theres always sports rage such as the infamous 2004 NBA brawl involving the Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons and fans.
And then theres Tom Cruise. After criticizing Brooke Shields for taking drugs to treat post-partum depression, he berated Today host Matt Lauer for suggesting psychiatric treatment might help some patients.
That, says Sonnenfeld, is probably an example of when someone should have kept quiet.